A reading from the book of judges.

After Abimelech, there arose to save Israel Tola, the son of Pua, son of Dodo, a man of Isakar,

and he lived at Shamer in the hill country of Ephraim, and he judged Israel 23 years.

Then he died, and was buried at Shamer.

After him arose Jair, the Gileadite, who judged Israel 22 years, and he had 30 sons who

rode on 30 donkeys, and they had 30 cities called Havath Jair, to this day, which are in the

land of Gilead, and Jair died and was buried in Cayman.

The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,

and served the Bales and the Astoroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Cydon,

the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines,

and they forsook the Lord and did not serve him.

So the anger of the Lord was

kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the

Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For 18 years, they

oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in

Gilead. And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin

and against the house of Ephraim so that Israel was severely distressed.

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord saying,

We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the bales.

And the Lord said to the people of Israel, did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the

Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines, the Sedonians also, and the Amalekites and

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